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Confirmed coronavirus cases had reached 322 statewide Friday, with cases reported in 38 counties, all of which now fall under Gov. Kevin Stitt’s amended executive order last week ordering the closure of nonessential businesses through April 16.

However, Kingfisher and two of its adjacent counties – Garfield and Blaine – still report no confirmed cases, according to the most recent Oklahoma State Department of Health update. Canadian County to the

Canadian County to the south reports 11 confirmed cases and Logan County to the east reports three.

The number of deaths had risen to eight total, five age 65 or older, two age 50-64 and one in the 36-49 age groups. The deaths include six men and two women, with the most recent being a Creek County man in his late 70s.

Other counties reporting COVID-19 deaths include: Cleveland – 3; Oklahoma – 2; Pawnee – 1, and Tulsa – 1.

A total of 105 people have been hospitalized, according to the OSDH.

Statewide Impact

The Governor imposed a “safer-at-home” order for all 77 counties requiring that vulnerable populations, including those over the age of 65, remain in their homes unless employed in essential businesses or conducting essential errands, such as going to the grocery store or pharmacy.

The order also suspended most nonemergency medical, dental and surgical procedures, to not only help control spread of the virus but also to reserve protective gear like gowns, masks and gloves for COVID-19 treatment.

Not Martial Law

Initial confusion followed Stitt’s executive order issued late Tuesday as to how the order would be enforced and who would be responsible for doing that.

Attorney General Mike Hunter issued a statement Thursday clarifying that the executive order did not impose martial law, which would place the Oklahoma National Guard in control of civilian actions.

“The guidelines in the Governor’s executive order call for Oklahomans to act in the best interest of their fellow citizens,” Hunter said.

“What we are calling on more than anything, is for Oklahomans to be good citizens, good neighbors and comply with the governor’s executive order, as well as the ordinances of local governments, to protect one another from this deadly illness.”

Hunter said violations of the executive order by businesses or individuals constitute a criminal misdemeanor, but “Law enforcement officers are counseled to inform and persuade to effect compliance when confronted with violations, emphasizing the gravity of the ongoing public health emergency we are experiencing.”

Law Enforcement Impact

Even before the Governor’s latest order, local law enforcement agencies had modified the way they do business to protect themselves and the public from potential spread of the virus.

Most area police departments have limited or no access to the public, although officers are still at work and agencies can still be reached by telephone.

With the added responsibility of maintaining an aging jail and housing potentially infected inmates, Kingfisher County Sheriff Dennis Banther is taking additional precautions.

“We’ve shut down visitaiton for now, use a questionnaire to screen new inmates for the virus or possible exposure, and clean the whole facility multiple times daily,” he said. “We’re even working on a contract for hosting quarantined inmates elsewhere, in cooperation with three other sheriff’s, but that’s not finalized yet.”

Other changes in his deputies’ procedures in the field are “all common sense,” he said.

“We’re keeping distance when approaching vehicles or homes and try to interview people outside homes and be upwind,” Banther said.

“We leave people inside their vehicles verses bringing them back to the patrol vehicle, switched to disposable plastic flex cuffs rather than handcuffs and disinfect the patrol vehicle after each arrest or transport.”

Kingfisher Police Chief David Catron also is urging his officers to take care.

“We’ve issued as much protective equipment as we can to the officers and I have told them to use precautions when dealing with people, but we are still going to respond to calls and work traffic control as we can,” he said. “That may change if we have a local outbreak.”

Public access to the police department is currently limited to the lobby area only, although the phones are still being answered, Catron said.

“Depending on how many officers are exposeed and have to self-quarantine, one case (of COVID-19) could shut down the whole department,” Catron said.

“We’re not booking anyone in to our jail, and we’re not taking them to county,” said Hennessey Police Chief Hank Weber during a phone inter view Thursday from his office.

He said the lobby into the police department is locked. There is a notice on the door with a number for people to call.

They have had an employee who “ran a fever and is on a 14-day quarantine as a precautioning measure.”

He said no one has been tested.

“Social distancing” is difficult in a small facility, and “we are doing the best we can, but it’s not always possible, or practical, to keep a six-foot distance.”

The HPD cannot have more than 10 people in the facility, he said, and “we’re cleaning the areas three or four times during a shift.”

He said the town board voted to lock the police department entrance and “that way the dispatcher can screen calls to find out if it’s something critical, like a domestic.”

“We’re not doing misdemeanor (traffic) arrests, and are practicing social distancing so we can keep our officers safe. We ask to see their driver license but don’t handle it,’ Weber said.

He said the department does not have masks or any PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) because it’s not available. “Our County Emergency Manager Steve Loftis is working to get them.”

The Hennessey chief said they were trying to reduce exposures “and we’re still going to protect the people because that’s what we’re sworn to do. There are so many things that we can’t control, but we try to control what we can.”

Okarche Police Department announced procedural changes on social media, including increasing the use of phone reporting for lower priority calls where life and property are not an immediate risk.

“OPD will no longer send an officer to calls that can be addressed through phone reporting,” according to the Facebook post. “Emergency and/or serious felony calls will be handled in person.”

Traffic enforcement for “nonhazardous” violations is left the the discretion of the officer, “but generally discouraged.”

“We are suspending police station tours, ride-a-longs, internships and other nonessential programs,” according to OPD’s post.

However, the police department has stepped up its efforts to maintain community morale in other ways.

The police department escorted a parade of teachers riding in their own vehicles through Okarche neighborhoods, while their school students waived signs and cheered from a safe distance in front of their houses.

“Children can’t comprehend what is going on,” OPD wrote on its Facebook page about last Monday’s parade. “But what they do understand is love and compassion. Their teachers helped with that today.”

Other First Responders

Kingfisher Fire Chief Tony Stewart said COVID-19 preparedness is business as usual for emergency medical crews, who deal with infectious diseases of all varieties on a regular basis.

“We continue to prepare our ambulance and equipment after every call, wiping down surfaces, changing the sheets and blankets on the cot as well as sanitizing the cot, wiping down the lifepak and accessories and any other equipment that may have been pulled out for the call,’ he said. “In a nutshell, we would clean it up like the hospital would with their ER rooms to be ready for the next patient.”

But he did say his department is facing the same scarcity of protective gear that is impacting every medical profession right now.

“We do have masks and gloves but we are out of gowns,” Stewart said. “Even though we are an emergency service, we have items that have been on backorder for several weeks.”

Emergency dispatch procedures also have been changed to make maximum use of protective gear, he said.

“Dispatch will ask certain questions to see if the risk factors are there for the possibility of the flu/COVID-19. Once it is determined that the call may present the flu/ COVID-19, we will use the proper PPE (personal protective equipment which consists of gloves, gowns, face shield and mask) for the call so as not to waste our PPE’s,” Stewart said.

“We are not sure when we get our PPE orders filled and delivered.”

When a local ambulance crew responds to an emergency in another city or town, the standing operating procedure is to dispatch that town’s fire department as well.

But Stewart said that procedure is suspended in cases presenting as possible COVID-19 to prevent those personnel from possible exposure.

Some Good News

The news wasn’t all bad for the county. Three people were released from self-quarantine last week who were exposed to an Oklahoma City attorney appearing on a local court docket before testing postive for COVID-19 a couple days later.

District Judge Paul Woodward of Enid, another attorney and a court reporter all appear to have avoided contracting the virus.